Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

Quick one done for #2


4 stars

review

Finished

My Review

I actually have finished and posted 4 reviews this month. I don't want to clog up the feed here, so I'll just post my favorite one that I've read this month and the rest you can view on my blog:

http://lollipopsbooks.blogspot.com/

by Alice Hoffman
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4.5 stars, Marked as 5 stars on Goodreads!

*squeals* I just got an email back from NetGalley. Kazen was probably right, if enough of us complain than we could make the tech team notice...
Quoted from their message:

"Thanks for reaching out and for your feedback. I've passed along the suggestion to our tech team so they can consider it for the future."

Marcelina☮ wrote: "I actually have finished and posted 4 reviews this month. I don't want to clog up the feed here, so I'll just post my favorite one that I've read this month and the rest you can view on my blog:

h..."


I haven't started that one yet as it has the publication date the furthest in the future. I'm looking forward to it though!

I too have done several books and reviews this month already, completely making up for last month's slower reading. I'll do the same thing with some quick links:

4 stars https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
3 stars https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4 stars https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4 stars https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


Also, I just saw I got the top reviewer badge? Given that I'm only at 49%, this surprised me.

Does anyone else here know what the conditions for the Top Reviewer Badge are?

Wow! Congrats so much Nicole! Being on this challenge must have just paid off ;)

Marcelina - I've considered requesting Faithful several times, but I actually haven't read anything by Alice Hoffman yet and wasn't sure. Glad you loved it.

Nicole - I believe that is the badge you get after a certain number of your reviews have been used by the publishers. I think it's 3 reviews? You used to be able to check which ones were used, but I'm not sure if that option is still there. I hope it is!

I will also send an email regarding the lack of archive date. I really liked having that there.

It's totally just paid off! I wonder how I can figure out which of my reviews have been used. I knew one of them had been, but I hadn't seen any others being used. Very cool though. Thanks Kristie and Marcelina!

I just picked up . I've been hearing some good things about it. Supposedly, it is not a diet book, but explains how your body works.

I just checked NetGalley and for the top reviewer badge it still says, "You can see which reviews have been added on your Shelf, under Feedback Sent." However, when I went to that shelf I no longer see the titles marked, so you can't tell which of your reviews has been used. Something else they should fix.

Hi Kristie, I actually just looked and if you look at the cover of the title, it actually does show which ones have been featured with a vertical orange pencil on the left of the cover.

I found this out because I knew one of the books that had been featured out of my three, and was able to tell what was different about that one. It's not clear though, you really have to look for it.

Please also check your Feedback Sent shelf. I just found that all the books I reviewed from August on lack any of the information I submitted. I've sent a message as I'm not happy about that.

Thankfully I also put all my reviews here on Goodreads so I would be able to copy and paste if that happened to me, but my information looks all good. I'm sorry to hear that though, Lara :(

It's weird because the dates I posted reviews are there, but none of the information I submitted. I'm glad your reviews are all complete.

Thanks, Nicole! I missed that the first time around, but I see it now. I found it on a book that I didn't even know had been featured!

#3 done. I'm determined to have a great month in September!



review

Is anyone interested in

?
It is currently "read now" on NetGalley and the publisher has offered to do either a guest post here or a Q&A (also a giveaway, but would only be for US/Canada residents).

If anyone is interested, I can set up a buddy read for October with an author Q&A?

I have read the book and I thought it was a pretty good HF, but I wasn't a massive fan of the MC so I gave it 3 stars. I will probably read the next in the series, and I certainly didn't think it was a "bad" book, otherwise I wouldn't be asking if anyone is interested :)

Not for me I'm afraid, Karen. I have too many books on right now as it is! :)

I just wanted to share that I got so excited when I got an email today from NetGalley titled: "Wishes do come True". And I was like whaat does that mean? Turns out the publisher has "randomly selected" me, what does that mean? to review this book:



I honestly wasn't all that interested in this book, I just wished for it somehow assuming that how the system works is the more wishes the publishers get, the more pressure they feel to grant it and make it available! Anyways, super excited since this is my first time, but again know nothing about what the book is about.

Has this been happening to anyone else or...?

@ Karen - It looks interesting, but I really can't add any books right now either.

@ Marcelina - I think the wishes are the same as requests, but after they have been archived.

I finished another NetGalley, Her Darkest Nightmare. It was really good, but had some repetition issues, particularly around the romance that were frustrating. You know, the 'Haven't we had this conversation already?' scenes. But, there were a lot of twists and turns and some edge of your seat moments, so I was able to let he minor issues slide a bit. 4 stars

had to DNF 100 % just way to many mistakes to read it, someone didn't do their job with this one

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "
#3 done. I'm determined to have a great month in September!

review"

Maybe I should have looked at in that way because all I did was roll my eyes at just how ridiculous I thought it was!

Danielle wrote: "Maybe I should have looked at in that way because all I did was roll my eyes at just how ridiculous I thought it was! ..."

As soon as I decided to treat it like a "Naked Gun" movie it was all good and I was laughing all the way ;)

I just have to share my disappointment with NGs tech service. I reported that everything I had submitted for feedback on my account from August on was missing on the feedback shelf. 14 books! The next day I got an email asking for more detail before sending my issue on to the tech guys, so I clarified the dates and how my comments, star ratings and links were now all blank.

The next day I get a follow-up email asking for which books were affected. Seriously? The tech people can't figure that out? The books have dates that feedback was submitted on the shelf; it's just the information I added that's missing. So, I listed out each way I gave feedback, reiterated that it was all missing (3rd time!), and listed each of the 14 books.

Today, nothing. So far I'm not impressed with that response. Three days with no useful feedback. I could easily repost the stars and review links, but can't remember what other reviews I posted. Plus, I'm now afraid to post reviews as I don't trust that they will 'stick'. GRRR

Has anyone here beside me been getting books to review from Blogging For Books.I go there when I can't find anything on NetGalley,

My mind boggles at the idea of not being able to find anything on NetGalley, but I think I'm a slower reader than most because I still have around 25 books on my shelf there at all times, despite how fast I read.

Haha same here Nicole. I like Netgalley because it has so many of my fave publishers and authors ; I'm never lost for something to read :)

So I figured out that my reviews are still there, it's just that the updated feedback process hadn't been saving my star ratings or publisher feedback. Whew! I've updated them all, then realized I had a cookbook review to leave, so I submitted a new review and it saved correctly:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm determined that this weekend I'm going to make some progress in getting my shelf down, even if it means DNR ing the books I'm resigned to never reading.

Unfortunately I did go on a requesting spree last night so any progress I make is likely to be instantly wiped out. All of these Christmas books are just too tempting.

First 2 done, 4 to go and then I need to get reading

- Great if you like a cute Christmas romance - 4 stars - review

- Loved this book - 5 stars - review

I've been spending more time in the garden than reading lately, so I have nothing further to update sadly. I am trying to read through at the moment though.

Just realized that I didn't copy any of my reviews lately, so here's my last 2.



Lilac Girls review

Her Darkest Nightmare review

Nicole wrote: "I've been spending more time in the garden than reading lately, so I have nothing further to update sadly. I am trying to read through at the ..."

Why do I know that cover? It is *so* much like the cover of another book that is just sitting on the tip of my tongue

For me as well, Karen. I actually picked it up on the basis of thinking it was a more well known book. Instead, it's this particular author's first.

Nicole wrote: "For me as well, Karen. I actually picked it up on the basis of thinking it was a more well known book. Instead, it's this particular author's first."

So frustrating that I can't think of the book. It is the exact cover though. You don't often see that with main-stream publisher books

3 stars


Review

And with that, I only have 3 left on my NetGalley shelf! :D

Again, Karen, I am in complete awe of your restraint. :)

Haha, I requested the sneak peek for An Ember in the Ashes from NetGalley 5 months ago. I was just approved today. lol It's by far the longest wait time I've ever had for a book and then to be approved was a bit unexpected.

As it turns out, I've already read the book, so I just copied my review over. Fastest review time for me!



An Ember in the Ashes review

Oddly enough, I am currently reading the second book in this series, A Torch Against the Night.

With that I am down to having 8 on my shelf and my ratio is up to 90%! I still have 3 books from last year (November and December), but I'm finally getting caught up.

Finished .

Blood Red Kiss: My Review

Lol Kristie! 4 months just for a sneak peek :o
At least it helps with your %
;)

Quick question for everyone: Do you usually wait to post your feedback on NetGalley until after you can post your amazon review (so publish date) or do you post your feedback/review as soon as you finish and then go in and add the link to Amazon after the publish date?

Danielle wrote: "Quick question for everyone: Do you usually wait to post your feedback on NetGalley until after you can post your amazon review (so publish date) or do you post your feedback/review as soon as you ..."

I usually post as soon as I write the review on GoodReads and say in the publisher message box that I'll also post a review to Amazon on publication. Sometimes publishers quote your reviews but I think only if they get them before publication date.

Sooo, my progress over the weekend has been undone. Two of my requests were approved today so my shelf remains at 28. On the plus side I'm really enjoying

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Lol Kristie! 4 months just for a sneak peek :o
At least it helps with your %
;)"

That's what I thought! It did help. :)

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Why do I know that cover? It is *so* much like the cover of another book that is just sitting on the tip of my tongue"

I'm not sure what the other book is either, but apparently that happens a lot. Listopia has a bunch of lists for different books that have the same cover. https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8...

Hi Danielle - I post to NetGalley straight away so I don't forget :)

Kristie - Yes I've seen it before too, but usually with smaller publishers and romance books - and I still can't think of the name of the other book with that flower cover!

Nicole wrote: "I've been spending more time in the garden than reading lately, so I have nothing further to update sadly. I am trying to read through at the ..."

I have noticed something: my reading on these monthly challenges is entirely reliant upon just how much I love the books I'm reading... I have slowed down so much since starting this book. I can't remember who gave it a low rating last month, but sadly they were entirely right...

On the other hand, I haven't stopped requesting new titles.... so that's a problem >.>

I'm late to the party this month, but I've been reading and reviewing!

Beginning of the month:

a: How many books on your NetGalley shelf: 24
b: What books are on your NG shelf: too many, but these are the ones I want to read this month because they were published in June and July!



What your Netgalley feedback ratio is: 74%

Read and reviewed this month:
The Lie
Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet
Goldfish
Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge
A Dangerous Age
Julia Vanishes

End of the Month:
Reviews: 6
Ratio: 74%